Gunner Definition

[frd88]

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-What an in-the-closet nerd calls an out-of-the-closet nerd. I put a lot of thought into that one, lol. Stop being gunner-haters people, our future professions deserve motivated, hard-working, educated people.

 

[Erhatstil]

a real gunner supports arsenal

 

[txaggie03]

misplaced arrogance does not a professional make.

 

[Bottle]

I hope you don't mess with your lab partner data or try to run over someone who is smarter than you.

 

[diasIItema]

-What an in-the-closet nerd calls an out-of-the-closet nerd. I put a lot of thought into that one, lol. Stop being gunner-haters people, our future professions deserve motivated, hard-working, educated people.

Since when are gunners hard-working and the rest of the dental class an exception?I don't think you understand what a gunner is. The "gunner" who sacrifices their social life to study 24/7 and is despised by his/her peers vs. the well-rounded, high-GPA/rank student involved in many social organizations and having a large social network, are two very different people. And I don't foresee the gunner being the one to advance the profession. Probably just his/her CV.Some of the best dentists in the country graduated from the bottom of their class b/c they understood that there is no correlation between your GPA and your ability to be a competent professional. Gunnerhea is a disease. It needs to be prevented, not enabled.

 

[frd88]

The culture of despising people for studying a lot is not a good culture at all. It's bs. It creates a situation where people don't study and act like they don't care about school in order to be accepted socially. Gunner-haters are just the professional school version of the high school bully. Picking on the guy/girl who actually wants to learn and to study and do well in school is just mean. Some of us "gunners" actually enjoy these subjects that we went to school and are paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to study and decide to spend a lot of time learning about them. Also, why hate on people who already have no life? Maybe they are shy. Maybe school is what they are good at and they aren't as "cool" as you non-gunners so they spend their time at what they are good at. A lot of gunners probably have anxiety issues. You gunner-haters just gotta chill out and let people get through dental school however they can. If they have to study 24/7 and participate in class to feel better don't give them a friggin hard time for it. They probably don't have as fun of a life as you anyways. That's just being a bully.

 

[txaggie03]

.Some of the best dentists in the country graduated from the bottom of their class b/c they understood that there is no correlation between your GPA and your ability to be a competent professional.

This.

 

[txaggie03]

It creates a situation where people don't study and act like they don't care about school in order to be accepted socially.

This is BS and you know it.

Maybe they are shy. Maybe school is what they are good… ...probably have anxiety issues…. ...they have to study 24/7 and participate in class to feel better… ….probably don't have as fun of a life

You're right. They are going to make fantastic entrepreneurial clinicians.

 

[wb1]

The culture of despising people for studying a lot is not a good culture at all. It's bs.... They probably don't have as fun of a life as you anyways. That's just being a bully.

I'm not a gunner-not even an ounce. That being said,
this above statement is right on! Leave the gunners alone, you awesome, fun having, thrill seeking, party loving students .... 🙂

 

[diasIItema]

Nobody "hates gunners" for being people who study a lot. Where the hell do you go to school?

People "despise" the individuals who are excessive know-it-alls, suck ups, backstabbers, think the rules don't apply to them, patronize other students. That's a "gunner." A person who studies a lot and may not have much of a social life isn't atypical. Nobody has anything against those sort of people. You need to operationalize your terms better. The gunner in this situation more closely resembles the "bully," to use your metaphor. And stop using high school metaphors. We're grown-ass adults in dental school.

This conversation clearly isn't going anywhere anyway. What are you expecting to accomplish by identifying yourself as a gunner and telling everyone to stop hating on gunners?

 

[frd88]

grown-ass adults don't "despise" people for taking their professional education seriously. I don't know what it is but I'm very disappointed in the atmosphere in dental school. It's more like high school than graduate school. I expected it to be more like the atmosphere in phD programs that friends of mine are in where it is encouraged to be passionate about the study topics. It is very uncool in dental school to be passionate about the topics we study and to participate in class and in discussions etc. People taking the topics seriously are oftentimes viewed as "know-it-alls" and "suck ups." I go to one of the ivies and I had to work my ass off starting from a poor family and having to go to community college and work full-time at a very demeaning, literal ass-wiping job and commuting to school to make it here. I've learned to work hard and take school seriously because I've had to to get where I am. And then, people who have had all of the help in the world, born with a silver spoon etc., who were able to skate by with their parents helping them with everything, make fun of people like me for working too hard. That is bs.

 

[Ionz]

grown-ass adults don't "despise" people for taking their professional education seriously. I don't know what it is but I'm very disappointed in the atmosphere in dental school. It's more like high school than graduate school. I expected it to be more like the atmosphere in phD programs that friends of mine are in where it is encouraged to be passionate about the study topics. It is very uncool in dental school to be passionate about the topics we study and to participate in class and in discussions etc. People taking the topics seriously are oftentimes viewed as "know-it-alls" and "suck ups." I go to one of the ivies and I had to work my ass off starting from a poor family and having to go to community college and work full-time at a very demeaning, literal ass-wiping job and commuting to school to make it here. I've learned to work hard and take school seriously because I've had to to get where I am. And then, people who have had all of the help in the world, born with a silver spoon etc., who were able to skate by with their parents helping them with everything, make fun of people like me for working too hard. That is bs.

Is it that important to you that you have a "cool" status in dental school? Thought that ship had sailed back in middle schools lol.....

As the graduates say around here countless times - just keep your head down and do your own thing. Your friends ain't getting you jobs or residency spots

 

[txaggie03]

I don't know what it is but I'm very disappointed in the atmosphere in dental school. It's more like high school than graduate school. I expected it to be more like the atmosphere in phD programs that friends of mine are in where it is encouraged to be passionate about the study topics. It is very uncool in dental school to be passionate about the topics we study and to participate in class and in discussions etc.

What party school do you go to?

People taking the topics seriously are oftentimes viewed as "know-it-alls" and "suck ups."

Unless it is different at your school (and it sounds like it might be), it isnt the thirst for knowledge that gets one labeled as a "know-it-all" or "suck-up." It is how they present themselves.

I go to one of the ivies and I had to work my ass off… ...I've learned to work hard and take school seriously because I've had to to get where I am.

And yet you still seem stuck in what others think. Escape that.

It isnt the situation that garnered the response you received on this thread, it is how you presented it. See my previous response in regards to arrogance.

 

[doc toothache]

A gunner- a diligent student who claims to never study, but in reality studies 24/7.

 

[Dgeorg6]

-What an in-the-closet nerd calls an out-of-the-closet nerd. I put a lot of thought into that one, lol. Stop being gunner-haters people, our future professions deserve motivated, hard-working, educated people.

I believe when people say someone is a gunner it means more like that person will do anything possible to be the best in the class. If that involves giving false information to his class mates are sabotaging their grade.. so be it

A gunner isn't just an individual who studies hard because that want to specialize. If you dislike someone because they want to make good grades, you are a *****.

 

[Bereno]

It is apparent to me that everyone here has a different understanding of a gunner... Why don't we agree on a definition first, then proceed to argue with each other?


EDIT: Might as well give my definition of a gunner: "Someone who wants to get ahead in their career by any means necessary. This includes studying much more than their peers, trying to keep information from their peers, not willing to help their peers, potentially being dishonest, brown-nosing, or manipulating, etc."

 

[diasIItema]

I go to one of the ivies and I had to work my ass off starting from a poor family and having to go to community college and work full-time at a very demeaning, literal ass-wiping job and commuting to school to make it here. I've learned to work hard and take school seriously because I've had to to get where I am. And then, people who have had all of the help in the world, born with a silver spoon etc., who were able to skate by with their parents helping them with everything, make fun of people like me for working too hard. That is bs.

I turned down Harvard for my state dental school; so glad I did too. Couldn't be happier. I come from a middle class background and am a self-made, hard-working individual. I can empathize with your situation.

But the word gunner... I don't think you know what that means. Chill out, enjoy 4 years of your 20's and stop worrying about what others think. Seriously.

 

[CMistry]

"A person who is competitive,overly-ambitious and substantially exceeds minimum requirements. A gunner will compromise his/her peer relationships and/or reputation among peers in order to obtain recognition and praise from his/her superiors."

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=gunner

Pretty good definition. Plenty of people work their ass off to get high grades... doesn't make them a "gunner".

 

[Expert]

It looks time there are two types of gunners: the good gunners and the bad gunners.
Gunners in general are overly ambitious and competitive and work way harder than their peers to excel and become the best. Now, The good gunners actually help others out and they work honestly and ethically without putting anybody else down. These are the gunners people tend to like. On the other hand, the bad gunners do not help anybody else out. If anything, they are the ones who may sabotage other people's attempt to excel by spreading misinformation, being selfish, etc. These are the gunners people tend to hate.

 

[Simplestone]

It looks time there are two types of gunners: the good gunners and the bad gunners.
Gunners in general are overly ambitious and competitive and work way harder than their peers to excel and become the best. Now, The good gunners actually help others out and they work honestly and ethically without putting anybody else down. These are the gunners people tend to like. On the other hand, the bad gunners do not help anybody else out. If anything, they are the ones who may sabotage other people's attempt to excel by spreading misinformation, being selfish, etc. These are the gunners people tend to hate.

And then there are the gunners who pretend to not be gunners. They say they can't come out for drinks because they have to help a friend move when actually they are studying. We always call them "snipers"

 

[Bereno]

 

[Mattthias]

And then there are the gunners who pretend to not be gunners. They say they can't come out for drinks because they have to help a friend move when actually they are studying. We always call them "snipers"

I don't necessarily think those people are gunners per say. They may simply be well aware of the stereotypes that people will put on them and so try to avoid it. It's not that they are trying to be dishonest it's just they may not want to be labeled as such. Even if you are the type who does study a lot because that's what you lie doing or it's how you learn, not everyone will understand so if you say you are studying all the time they will assume you are gunning.

I learned myself in undergrad long ago never to broadcast my grades or study habits because no one will appreciate them. Even if they are the ones asking for your grades, they still may feel as if you are being boastful if you did significantly better than them. I got around this by just refusing to talk about it. I'll say I did pretty good and leave it at that. I personally wouldn't ever lie to someone and say I wasn't studying when I was but I can understand people who would because I've been in a similar situation.

Sociologically speaking though humans tend do dislike outsiders/outliers it's wired into our DNA. We're social animals so people that don't fit in we tend to exclude. Different is bad in these terms. I personally believe on a subconscious level people display this all the time. The only reason people ask others their grades or their study habits is usually because they want to validate their own even if they don't realize it. If you did badly on a test it feels a lot better to know that others did as well and we will tend to dislike the outliers i.e. people who did far better than us and we will despise people far below us. These are of course very black and white terms and I doubt if most will feel this strongly but even as we congratulate you a little part of us is wishing you had done a little worse. Of course I think this can be overcome and that not every situation is like this but to a certain extent this is happening and feeding into it is a bad idea.

Of course this is speaking in generalities and should be treated as such.

 

[IsaacYankem]

It looks time there are two types of gunners: the good gunners and the bad gunners.
Gunners in general are overly ambitious and competitive and work way harder than their peers to excel and become the best. Now, The good gunners actually help others out and they work honestly and ethically without putting anybody else down. These are the gunners people tend to like. On the other hand, the bad gunners do not help anybody else out. If anything, they are the ones who may sabotage other people's attempt to excel by spreading misinformation, being selfish, etc. These are the gunners people tend to hate.

Gunner is a derogatory term. There are no good gunners and bad gunners just as there are no good douchebags and bad douchebags.

Nobody has a problem with students who study hard or even want to specialize. Gunners are unique in that they will actively try to screw over their peers in the process whether it be by hiding information, giving out fake notes, and any other such uncouth behavior

 

[ushaseos]

I study hard and enjoy life in my own way (mainly working, pursuing hobbies instead of meaninglessly partying all the time). I wouldn't dare stab anyone in the back but I'm a gunner in the eyes of some of my class members simply because I get good grades and answer prof questions and don't mingle as much due to differing interests.

I am not going to let a few idiots and their warped outlook influence my approach to learning. I know I do no harm nor do I withhold vital info from people. In short what I'm saying is that if you're trying to screw people over, you're doing it wrong. If you're being envious of those who are better skilled or performing you're doing it wrong. Sadly though dental school thus far is most reminiscent of high school for me. There are some amazing people and faculty members, but there are some real screwballs too. All expected, but nonetheless disappointing.

 

[Miley Cyrus.]

I study hard and enjoy life in my own way (mainly working, pursuing hobbies instead of meaninglessly partying all the time). I wouldn't dare stab anyone in the back but I'm a gunner in the eyes of some of my class members simply because I get good grades and answer prof questions and don't mingle as much due to differing interests.

I am not going to let a few idiots and their warped outlook influence my approach to learning. I know I do no harm nor do I withhold vital info from people. In short what I'm saying is that if you're trying to screw people over, you're doing it wrong. If you're being envious of those who are better skilled or performing you're doing it wrong. Sadly though dental school thus far is most reminiscent of high school for me. There are some amazing people and faculty members, but there are some real screwballs too. All expected, but nonetheless disappointing.

Yea, it seems as if people are jealous of you a little bit. It does seem that this 'high school maturity and mindset' has been totally integrated with undergrad, and now fully integrated with Professional school. It is good that you are pursing hobbies so that you aren't lonely.

I met this one guy who went into an OMFS residency after Dental School, and he had that 'high school' mindset and maturity. He was also unnecessarily spewing venom against 2 of his classmates in particular, behind their backs. I later found out that both of those classmates were also going for OMFS, which is why he was spewing venom against them. I also later found out that one of those classmates got into the OMFS program the hater wanted to get into. Proves that intelligence has nothing to do with maturity or morality.

 

[Bereno]

Much like @ushaseos , I study very hard and a few of my med school classmates have termed me a gunner. I think everyone who works hard will be labeled that at some point by someone. I also like to spend my free time with my photography or whatever other hobby I have, so its not all that big of a deal to me either.

 

[ushaseos]

To be honest, I'm a little older than the average classmate and the course my life has taken is very different than theirs so our interests will not match. I also have no contacts, mentors or anything else in this field so whatever success I gain has to be earned. It really is no big deal to be labelled one by a small minority.

@Miley Cyrus. Yeah, I totally hear ya. I've not had or known of that kind of back stabbing, but there is plenty of duplicity in other matters. It's unfortunate when people who are ambitious get overly analyzed, but it's equally unfortunate when the overly ambitious start analyzing others through warped lenses. I expected these things when I came to dental school and maybe that has lessened the impact somewhat, but it's still disappointing to see such sophomoric behavior at such high levels.

 

[physicalfitness]

Before reading this thread, my definition of a gunner was simply a student who studied 24/7. I didn’t rly think of it as having a negative connotation. I jokingly accused a D2 of being a gunner a couple weeks back b/c she said she wanted to specialize. Wish i knew some ppl think of gunners as a!!holes. But I like bereno’s definition so im gonnna go with that from now on.

EDIT: Might as well give my definition of a gunner: "Someone who wants to get ahead in their career by any means necessary. This includes studying much more than their peers, trying to keep information from their peers, not willing to help their peers, potentially being dishonest, brown-nosing, or manipulating, etc."

I graduated with an accounting degree from a very large state school. Its business school is highly competitive. I have been ‘stabbed in the back’ by groupmates, trying to get ahead, who I thought were my friends. The environment in business school as an accounting major is comparable to the environment around a shrinking watering hole during the dry season in the Serengeti. Just as the zebra, wildebeest, giraffe compete to get a sip to survive, we accounting students competed for a coveted internship at one of the Big 4. The real bad ones, what simplestone refers to as snipers, would be like an alligator stealthily lurking just beneath the surface of the water, waiting for the right moment to launch out and bite down on a wildebeest’s skull. (I had a bit too much fun with that analogy...but can you tell i don't like accounting?) I figured if my classmates are like this now, it will just continue/get worse when we have jobs and are vying to be partner. So I decided to pursue dentistry and so far have been pleasantly surprised by how altruistic (most) science majors are compared to business majors. I think it’s unfortunate I am surprised by that, but business school has scarred me. Its gotten so bad that when a fellow dental school applicant was giving unsolicited advice to me while shadowing together, I wondered whether she had an ulterior motive (she was nice).

My point is this:
gunners are annoying, absolutely. they're not always gunnin like its life or death cause they have a total disregard for you. Sometimes those ppl went to a large undergrad where you have to push, or get lost in the crowd and end up with nothing. And then that mentality stuck, carrying over to dental school. Or maybe they couldnt care less and enjoy screwing you over

 

[diasIItema]

... instead of meaninglessly partying all the time

Perhaps your projection of "meaningless" on the predominant activity of your peers is a principal reason they are willing to categorize you as a "gunner?" Abstaining from social relationships is a sure-fire way to inhibit positive peer perception, and probably has more to do with it than your academic habits. Going out and throwing parties builds camaraderie among peers and future professionals; sitting alone in your room at night for an extra couple of GPA points doesn't. Whereas you may categorize many of your peers as "idiots," in a few years they very may well be the one's laughing all the way to the bank, as there is very little correlation with dental school academic success and clinical success; many bottom-tier students become the best general dentists. Even still, many of my peers and I "party" all the time. And many of us are top-10 students, ranked well ahead of people who abstain from our "meaningless partying" tendencies.

 

[Miley Cyrus.]

Perhaps your projection of "meaningless" on the predominant activity of your peers is a principal reason they are willing to categorize you as a "gunner?" Abstaining from social relationships is a sure-fire way to inhibit positive peer perception, and probably has more to do with it than your academic habits. Going out and throwing parties builds camaraderie among peers and future professionals; sitting alone in your room at night for an extra couple of GPA points doesn't. Whereas you may categorize many of your peers as "idiots," in a few years they very may well be the one's laughing all the way to the bank, as there is very little correlation with dental school academic success and clinical success; many bottom-tier students become the best general dentists. Even still, many of my peers and I "party" all the time. And many of us are top-10 students, ranked well ahead of people who abstain from our "meaningless partying" tendencies.

Social relationships can only be formed through partying? Didn't know that. Guess Mormons and Muslims (who predominantly do NOT drink or party) don't have social relationships. He never said he sits in his room at night "for an extra couple of GPA points". He said he did take time to pursue hobbies. What happens if someone wants to spend their extra time learning Spanish instead of "going out and throwing parties"? That person who learns Spanish will have vastly improved career prospects and a larger clientele to draw from when he/she becomes a dentist. There is very little correlation to partying and "clinical success." Aren't you the one who usually talks about ethics in dentistry? Who said that those peers who will be the general dentists "laughing all the way to the bank" will be ethical, honest dentists who care about the Hippocratic Oath and professionalism? Maybe those peers who laughed all the way to the bank, will one day be crying in the courtroom, when they are found guilty of something they should not have done as a dentist.

I try to treat everyone, regardless of whether their social habits are similar to mine, as equals. What I've often found, however is that those who are "the partiers" don't seem to have that mutual respect they should have for their fellow man, especially if that guy doesn't drink or party.

 

[sgv]

May the father of all gunners rest in peace...

 

[sgv]

The word probably has military > law > medicine origins. The way and the frequency at which I hear my classmates using it sort of waters down how derogatory that word really is. (I wonder why I hear that word so often around me...Hmmmm...)

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/introducing-the-pre-med-gunner-scumbag-meme.846049/

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/gunner.854109/

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/the-etymology-of-gunner.532778/#post-6780481

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/exploring-gunners-history.629872/#post-8190011

You'll never hear a gunner talk about how much they study. They'll trick you into thinking that they're not studying even though they really are for two reasons. One, among a list of vices, their arrogance feeds on your thinking that they're geniuses for getting A's without studying. Two, they want you to react to their not studying by you thinking "Hey, if this guy isn't studying, maybe the test isn't going to be that bad so I shouldn't study either." And you end up failing and this guy moves up on class rank. These guys are manipulative sociopaths.

 

[Mattthias]

You only get so many trips around the sun. As a wise sage once said, "F*ck B*tches, Get Money"

 

[Mad Jack]

You guys have it all wrong. This is a real gunner:

 

[diasIItema]

Social relationships can only be formed through partying? Didn't know that. Guess Mormons and Muslims (who predominantly do NOT drink or party) don't have social relationships. He never said he sits in his room at night "for an extra couple of GPA points". He said he did take time to pursue hobbies. What happens if someone wants to spend their extra time learning Spanish instead of "going out and throwing parties"? That person who learns Spanish will have vastly improved career prospects and a larger clientele to draw from when he/she becomes a dentist. There is very little correlation to partying and "clinical success." Aren't you the one who usually talks about ethics in dentistry? Who said that those peers who will be the general dentists "laughing all the way to the bank" will be ethical, honest dentists who care about the Hippocratic Oath and professionalism? Maybe those peers who laughed all the way to the bank, will one day be crying in the courtroom, when they are found guilty of something they should not have done as a dentist.

I try to treat everyone, regardless of whether their social habits are similar to mine, as equals. What I've often found, however is that those who are "the partiers" don't seem to have that mutual respect they should have for their fellow man, especially if that guy doesn't drink or party.

The point of my response was directed towards the individual's perception of "meaningless parting." I offered perspective that the partying isn't meaningless at all, but is a very good way to build camaraderie with future professionals, and that, perhaps, his negative perceptions of his peers may well have an effect on his peers perception of him. Likewise, whether or not the individual in question does pursue other relationships/hobbies doesn't undermine the hypotheticals and generalizations highlighted, being that "meaningless partying" is, in my opinion, far more beneficial than isolating oneself in professional school. You may disagree. Regarding ethics, "laughing all the way to the bank" implies nothing about ethical or professional misconduct; the two are not mutually exclusive so long as professional/ethical conduct are prioritized over self-interest; regarding this convo, it's an extraneous point.

 

[Mattthias]

The point of my response was directed towards the individual's perception of "meaningless parting." I offered perspective that the partying isn't meaningless at all, but is a very good way to build camaraderie with future professionals, and that, perhaps, his negative perceptions of his peers may well have an effect on his peers perception of him. Likewise, whether or not the individual in question does pursue other relationships/hobbies doesn't undermine the hypotheticals and generalizations highlighted, being that "meaningless partying" is, in my opinion, far more beneficial than isolating oneself in professional school. You may disagree. Regarding ethics, "laughing all the way to the bank" implies nothing about ethical or professional misconduct; the two are not mutually exclusive so long as professional/ethical conduct are prioritized over self-interest; regarding this convo, it's an extraneous point.

I completely agree with this.

 

[ushaseos]

Perhaps your projection of "meaningless" on the predominant activity of your peers is a principal reason they are willing to categorize you as a "gunner?" Abstaining from social relationships is a sure-fire way to inhibit positive peer perception, and probably has more to do with it than your academic habits. Going out and throwing parties builds camaraderie among peers and future professionals; sitting alone in your room at night for an extra couple of GPA points doesn't. Whereas you may categorize many of your peers as "idiots," in a few years they very may well be the one's laughing all the way to the bank, as there is very little correlation with dental school academic success and clinical success; many bottom-tier students become the best general dentists. Even still, many of my peers and I "party" all the time. And many of us are top-10 students, ranked well ahead of people who abstain from our "meaningless partying" tendencies.

3 things -

1. Not partying = abstaining from social relationships? What the hell happened to good ole conversations, networking, conferences, non-partying social events, hikes, sports and any of the other things that people do together? Just because I don't "party" doesn't mean I refrain from social contact.
2. My school has no GPA, or rankings. We have pass/fail/honors and 70+% specialize each year and most if not all OFMS/ Ortho/ Pedo people match in their chosen specialties. I do well to reach my potential not for some arbitrary number to rise.
3. The idiots referred not to people who "Party" but rather to people who look at things in a warped judgmental way...you know the "you're either with us or against us" mentality that some people carry around?

I never said those who "party" are stupid or implied anything about them - I also didn't label them as "idiots"...you made that connection. I just was making the point that I choose to do different things with my time and that small faction of extremely judgmental types will start labeling me because of it. I don't drink, and I grew up in a different culture - not all things the average 20 something in this country finds enjoyable are going to be for me. Surely you see how something innocuous like this lends to someone being mislabeled as a gunner right? Don't tell me there aren't people at your school who are reserved but extremely nice. I'd hate for them to be labelled as gunners simply because they don't FULLY conform. Don't you think the label gunner ought to be reserved for those who'd willfully engage in foul play and not simply those who keeps to themselves?

I actually do have a very healthy relationship with most of my classmates since I'm pretty personable and am always happy to lend a hand academically - an offer routinely sought before midterms by those who know me to any extent. I also interact with them extensively in other events school or otherwise...There are 88 kids in my class and only a handful of them I'd label as idiots because the spend their existence judging the choices of others. Most of us have mutual respect and admiration for each other. We'd be in for a bumpy 4 years otherwise. Please don't assume things about others...I'm not going to assume you're a fratboy just because of a single comment you made here (and this isn't sarcasm)

I was simply saying we shouldn't let our actions be dictated by the idiosyncrasies of others or the labels they erroneously place on us. Clear enough?

 

[Michdent]

Honestly, people don't like gunners because they are jerks that would rather "get ahead" even if that means making others fail. All in all, just don't be a jerk to your classmates. That's it.

 

[yappy]

Gunners usually view their academic career as a zero-sum-competition. Therefore, they hide resources, spread misinformation, don't collaborate with other students during discussions, etc. all in an effort to reduce other peoples success or at least not help other peoples learning. I have found that the non-gunner-good-student doesn't view their education as a zero-sum-game and may help others while also achieving excellent grades in school. Most people dislike gunners because they're bullies. I sometimes wonder how their lack of ethics is going to manifest in private practice - who knows?